The Eleanor Association
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The Eleanor Association, now the Eleanor Women's Foundation, was a non-profit housing and community program for working women in Chicago, founded in 1906.
Founding and early years
[edit]Former teacher Ina Law Robertson founded the Hotel Eleanor in 1898 as dormitory-style room and board for working women in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood.[1][2] They were named for her friend and benefactor, Eleanor Law.[3][4]
The project grew into the Eleanor Association, encompassing other buildings in the city, to assist thousands of women. The residences had communal dining, libraries, reading rooms, basic banking services, clubs and classes.[5][4] Camp Eleanor, a summer retreat in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, was added the association's programs, as was a club publication, The Eleanor Record.[4][6] The association was incorporated in 1906,[7] and a downtown headquarters was added in 1907.[5] The concept was held up as an example for women's clubs in other cities.[8] Robertson died in 1916.[9]
After 1916
[edit]There were six Eleanor residences at the association's height.[10][11] The camp in Wisconsin closed in 1953. Eleanor Club One in Hyde Park was bought by the University of Chicago in 1967, and was a dormitory until 2015.[1] The building in Wicker Park became a nursing home; other sites became a youth hostel, and office/retail space. The Dearborn Parkway residence operated as housing until 2001.[3][12][13] "It really helped not to have to worry about cooking, cleaning, or security," one former resident recalled of her time there in the 1990s.[11]
The Eleanor Women's Foundation now is part of the Chicago Foundation for Women, and continues to offer community supports for women and girls in Chicago.[13][14] There is a collection of the foundation's papers in the Women and Leadership Archives at Loyola University Chicago.[15]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Morse, Patricia L. (2022-07-15). "Hyde Park Stories: Eleanor Club One". Hyde Park Herald. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Lawrence, Jeanne Catherine. "Chicago's Eleanor Clubs: Housing Working Women in the Early Twentieth Century" in Sally Ann McMurry and Annmarie Adams, eds., People, Power, Places (University of Tennessee Press 2000): 219-247.
- 1 2 Grossman, Ron (2020-04-10). "Flashback: A lifeline in the big city: Women's clubs, started in Chicago in 1898, gave women a home and an instant support network". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- 1 2 3 Gershon, Livia (2019-07-22). "Co-Living, the Hot New Trend of 1898". JSTOR Daily. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- 1 2 "The Eleanor Association: Operating Clubs for Young Women Who Are Employed". Union Labor Advocate. 8 (9): 46. May 1908.
- ↑ MacLean, Annie Marion (April 11, 1914). "Homes for Young Women: The Eleanor Clubs of Chicago". The Survey. 32 (2): 60–61.
- ↑ "Eleanor Association Offers Homes for 450 Business Girls; New Club Opens Its Doors". Chicago Tribune. 1911-12-17. p. 75. Retrieved 2026-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Women Indorse Eleanor Clubs; Biennial Leaders Discuss Projects for Homes for Working Girls". Chicago Tribune. 1914-06-15. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Ina Law Robertson is Dead in Chicago". Spokane Chronicle. 1916-03-08. p. 11. Retrieved 2026-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Central Eleanor Club to Move Jan. 1". Chicago Tribune. 1914-12-12. p. 15. Retrieved 2026-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "A Haven for Dreams". Chicago Tribune. 1996-01-14. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Gunderson, Erica (December 9, 2016). "Room to Grow: Chicago's Eleanor Clubs". WTTW News. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- 1 2 Brotman, Barbara (2001-10-03). "Door closes on an era". Chicago Tribune. pp. 94, 102. Retrieved 2026-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Eleanor Foundation". Foundation Directory. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ "Unprocessed Treasure: The Eleanor Foundation Collection | Women and Leadership Archives". Women and Leadership Archives. 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2026-09-29.